Eureka Springs part two

We went on a couple of side trips while we were in Eureka Springs, mostly just to see that part of the state.  The one place I really wanted to go - the replica medieval castle that is being built in the countryside - was closed for the winter, but that just means we will have to take another trip up that direction later in the year. Instead, we stopped at Thorncrown Chapel on our way out to view the Pea Ridge National Military Park.

The chapel is pretty cool, just out on the side of a hill. It would be an awesome place for a wedding, but they don't really want to be a wedding chapel, so they don't allow many. Too bad. I'd love to have such windows when I go to church, and such a view. Might take my mind off the sermon though.

The weather that day was lovely, clear blue skies, cool - just as it should be in late December. And with all the leaves off the trees, we could see forever.

After you go over the hills, there is a flat, prairie-like area, with long vistas and a crumbling house. 

I got a new DSLR camera for Christmas (well, it was a Christmas gift, but I started using it in November). It is so good that this picture is taken from a moving car. If I hadn't been the one to take the picture, I don't think I could tell, can you?

I didn't really take any pictures at the battlefield. There was a good interpretive center, and if we had been so inclined, a long self-guided driving tour around the area. None of us are Civil War buffs, so the interpretive center gave us enough history for the afternoon. Even after seeing all the displays and information, I still have a hard time imagining the nightmare conditions of a Civil War battle.

Tomorrow, Christmas Eve at War Eagle Mill.